I so rarely remember to take photos of my outfits, so I’m treating you a ‘lil bit, showing you what I look like without a sweater and a beanie.

Crop tops never went out of style for me; my stomach has been hanging out freely since 1985. I grabbed this one in two colors from H&M last summer. I paired the short shirt with a knit sweater vest (I’ve worn it death for years!) and one of my favorite pairs of jeans. The jeans are also an old school classic with an equally old school label. They’re FUBU. [insert laugh track here] They harken back to the days when most denim seemed to be not quite that and have more structure than most “true” denim. They are stretchy and have a perfect medium rise and I bought them two sizes too big and ended up with a perfectly hip slung, elegant, boyfriend jean. I bought them sometime in college, probably around 2004. I couldn’t find the jeans I wanted, so I made them. I spent most of this day sitting so I could finally find the justification to teeter around in these beautiful, blush suede pumps from Zara.

The outfit was really second fiddle to my other production that day…my return to YouTube! This first video is worth the watch:

What is your favorite part of Spring? Are you as over being cold as I am?

The post Spring is Here, and Spring Style has Sprung! appeared first on The Right Style.

1. The Honorees
2. The Music
3. The Fashion
4. The Sisterhood
5. The Message

The Honorees.

First of all, take a look at these categories, y’all! Star Power. Rock Star. Shot Caller. Living Legend. Social Humanitarian. Change Agent. There’s nothing to be scared of when people call you these kinds of names.

• Star Power award winner, Jada Pinkett-Smith quoted her, “Afro-Futurist” daughter, Willow and addressed that Deadline article.
• Shot Caller Ava Duvernay talked about the “light, camera, action” that she uses to govern her own life and saluted the beautiful black woman filmmakers that came before.
• Dr. Helene D. Gayle accepted her Social Humanitarian award with flawless grace and shared words from her mother that sound strangely familiar: “You have a good brain and a big mouth, now use them.“
• Principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, Nadia Lopez, was shot to well-deserved fame after my favorite Humans Of New York kid, Vidal, called her his biggest influence. Now a little over two months have passed and the kids of Brownsville’s Mott Hall Bridges are going to Harvard and Principal Lopez is on stage accepting the award most fitting for a Change Agent like her.
• Cicely Tyson is a Living Legend. But we already knew that.
• Erykah Badu, my soul sister, is a Rock Star. I was all here for her speech and digging her deep groove as she wove “Master Teacher” and “Soldier”. Check this right here.

The Music.

And that brings me to the music. Nothing touched this medley by Lalah Hathaway, Faith Evans and Fantasia.

The Fashion.

The following images are entitled: “YAAAASSSS!”, “Werk.”, and “Killin’ ‘Em!”

The Sisterhood

We live in a world with too much Love and Hip and Real Housewives of Atlanta and not enough of alla that. Seeing beautiful sisters including the First Lady of the United States (!) on that stage celebrating each other and celebrating all of us in our uniqueness moved me in a way that I have not been moved in a long time. Seriously, this was me last night:

So… I just spontaneously started crying when Michelle Obama started to speak. That’s power. That’s why #BlackGirlsRock.

— KerriEstellaGrinnage (@kerriestella) April 6, 2015

The Message

Black Girls Rock is more than just an awards show, it’s a movement. Black Girls Rock is a no-profit dedicated to the development of young Black women, teaching them to serve, to be leaders and innovators. By expanding a young woman’s worldview today, the organization is making sure that we have strong Black women to lead us into the future. And that, my friends, is why Black Girls Rock will rock the world…today and hopefully, forever.

The post 5 Reasons Why Black Girls Rock Rocks the World appeared first on The Right Style.

Marie says this about herself:

I often say if Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Oprah and Jay-Z had a love child, it would be me. That’s because I’m part business strategist, part marketing maven and part spiritual ass-kicker with a side of hip-hop swagger.

Though Tony Robbins is NOT my jam, I am a huge fan of Virgin, Lady O, and Beyoncé’s husband. (I am the child of a Robbins-enthusiast, and his voice gives me flashbacks to hours of audiobooks and being admonished to “release the giant within”. I was 8, Kyle. Let me live.) But Marie calling herself the love child of these three seems so very right on. She has the vision and humor and sense of purpose that I admire, and I have gotten so much from just hearing OTHER PEOPLE talk about her. I got into Marie a little over a month ago, just as she was ramping up the enrollment process to her famous B-School.

Haven’t heard of B-School? What? WHAT?! What exactly are you doing with yourself?! Please read up here. I’ll wait. :: Cue “Jeopardy” music:: B-School is an eight-week online video-based training program for entrepreneurs who are motivated to take their business to the holy grail of levels– the next one. I got wind of the B-School buzz through my favorite bloggers network, Bloggers Like Me. When I say the ladies were going wild, I mean it. Those who had previously attended were urging the rest of us to scrape together our pennies and get on the bus. Those of us who hadn’t attended before worked themselves up into a lather, trying to scheme our way into Marie’s world.

B-School wasn’t feasible for me this year, but Marie’s weekly web series, Marie TV is my jam. She speaks from her heart and in this latest episode speaks to how a leader can speak to their team’s hearts, as well.

Take the 5 Love Languages quiz and figure out how you can integrate them into your life. I value “Quality Time” and “Words of Affirmation” which might very well be why this post is so damn long. Marie Forleo and her webseries, MarieTV is my TRS Pick of the week.

The post TRS Pick: MarieTV appeared first on The Right Style.

The elements that made Bruno’s outfit retro and hilarious could easily be translated into a sophisticated but eclectic workday style.

The result:

Armani Jeans white sleeveless blouse, $230 / Emilio Pucci one button blazer / STELLA McCARTNEY slacks pants / Ted Baker patent shoes / Yellow gold jewelry / McQ by Alexander McQueen print scarve / Rag bone white crown / Gucci eyewear

 

Trading the baggy undershirt for a sleek sheath, the shapeless salmon blazer for a structured magenta jacket, and the multiple gold chains for a layered gold necklace takes the look from masculine to undeniably feminine. Though I cannot guarantee your job security if you try to sport that scarf underneath your fedora, let me know if you try it. I love a good laugh.

Go get your hair done and get ready for the freakin’ weekend!

 

Take me home, Bruno! Get “Uptown Special” available on iTunes.

 

 

The post Let Bruno Mars Uptown Funk Up Your Day Job appeared first on The Right Style.

Carrie: How about I read you a little bit of my favorite poetry?
Aleksandr: Please.
Carrie: [reads from Vogue] “Cocktails at Tiffany’s calls for classic charm. Oscar de La Renta sleeveless silk full-skirted dress with black patent leather bow belt.” Now that is pure poetry.

Oscar was a man who let his work and his actions speak for themselves. Here he is presenting his 2012 Resort Collection within the walls of the largest bullfighting arena in the world, Plaza des Toros in Mexico City, Mexico.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA IN MEXICO CITY from Oscar de la Renta on Vimeo.

The post Farewell, Oscar. appeared first on The Right Style.

I had never really thought of Under Armour as a brand that moved like this– this video has changed my mind. Watch it below:

Photo: Misty Copeland 2013 Calendar, Photographer: Gregg Delman

The post #BEbeautiful: Misty Copeland appeared first on The Right Style.

First things first, take a look at the NEW Beauticontrol…

The brand has changed. Our mission is clearer than ever and in our quest to help you to be the most beautiful and confident you EVER, we have a whole new color line!

Essentially, I spent the past week screaming and cheering and whooping it up with 3000 of the most amazing women across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico and I can’t wait to show you what’s on the horizon.

What do you want to know about Beauticontrol?

The post BE Revealed appeared first on The Right Style.

Yes, Instagram video is one of the greatest thing that has happened to me and to fashion marketing in general. I know that I may be in the minority of people when I say this, but I LOVE advertising. A gripping or particularly creative advertising campaign has the power to shape the way that you think about a brand and oft times, as we have seen with the recent chatter over the interracial Cheerios family and the multi-lingual Coke ad, has the power to relect how we view our world and each other.

The 15 second videos are great ways to share moments and inside jokes but they’re also an awesome way to show off fashion. Since fashion is meant to be worn and style is how you take that fashion and make it work in the world, capturing that motion is a natural step.

Though the video is simple and self-shot, it generated a great response on the outfit across Instagram and Facebook. My reach is largely confined to my admittedly large personal circle so imagine what brands with international reach could do…

Opening Ceremony:

Danny Brown for Adidas

Solange Knowles for Puma

Tell me what you think: How could you use Instagram video to spread your style or brand message?

The post Big Changes appeared first on The Right Style.

While your teeth still may be chattering and if you’re in Virginia, like me, looking forward to impending snow related doom, the very notion of spring may be a comical one. But in fashion, as in life, we’ve got to think ahead. And honestly, with all of the unpredictability this past season, spring weather could be upon us in no time.

This video, featuring the one and only Gary Jones– the Vice President of Marketing and Research at BeautiControl, gives us a 10 minute “I spy” view of New York Fashion Week’s biggest make-up trends: Pink, Pops of Color, Dark Drama and Lots and lots of lashes!

The post Makeup Style Trend: Spring 2013 appeared first on The Right Style.